Type 1 diabetes is the most common childhood metabolic disorder. Since 2015, the world's first population-wide screening test for type 1 diabetes in children has been carried out in Bavaria under the name "Fr1da - Type 1 diabetes: Early detection - early good treatment". By participating in "Fr1da", many children have already been diagnosed in good time and saved from the risk of a life-threatening metabolic derailment. The free screening is done with a simple blood test in children aged 2 to 5 and now 9 to 10 years of age under the study name "Fr1da-plus". Participant 100,000 is now the two-year-old Simon from Ingolstadt.

The patron of "Fr1da", Bavaria's Minister of Health Melanie Huml, emphasized: "The Fr1da study is a flagship for health research in Bavaria and I am delighted that so many children have already benefited from this unique offer and that even more families will benefit from it in the future My goal is to make parents more aware of diabetes in children, and around 4,500 children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 20 are affected by the chronic metabolic disease type 1 diabetes, which has not been curable so far. "

The vast majority of families could breathe again after the test: no type 1 diabetes. If an early stage is excluded during the examination, the likelihood of the disease occurring later is very low.

"Type 1 diabetes affects more children every year, and in most cases, families are coldly surprised by the diagnosis. Particularly serious are those cases that are hospitalized with a dangerous metabolic imbalance (ketoacidosis), because the first symptoms have gone undetected. The early detection study enables the timely sensitization and training of parents and can thus help to avoid this sometimes life-threatening condition, "said Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Tschöp, CEO of Helmholtz Zentrum München.

Children who were diagnosed with early-stage type 1 diabetes in the Fr1da study were given an individual plan. The affected families were personally informed, trained and advised. The opportunity to benefit from the prevention study "Frda-Insulin Intervention" was taken up by 158 families. In the "Fr1da Insulin Intervention" trial, oral insulin attempts to slow or stop the progression of the disease.

"Our goal is to delay or prevent the progression of the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes by treatment with oral insulin," explains Prof. Dr. med. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Director of the Institute for Diabetes Research at Helmholtz Zentrum München. "Because we are committed to not just diagnose and treat early, but to find a way to prevent type 1 diabetes. We work for a world without type 1 diabetes. "

The Augsburg pediatrician Martin Lang, Country Chairman of the Professional Association of Paediatricians in Bavaria and board member of PaedNetz Bayern eV confirms: "Demand shows us that families have a strong interest in having their children examined for an early stage of type 1 diabetes to let. That is why I and about half of all Bavarian paediatricians support the early detection of this chronic disease. We are glad that the possibility of early diagnosis with "Fr1da-plus" continues to be assured. "

Type 1 diabetes screening helps to detect the disease at an early stage and thus to treat it well. Life-threatening over-sugarings are avoided. The families can be trained early and looked after as well as possible. In addition, participation in innovative prevention studies is possible.

Family Pröhl, who participated in the "Fr1da" study with their children, says: "We immediately agreed that our children should benefit from the free early detection. Of course we were relieved when nothing was found in our children. If the result had been different, we would have wanted to know it as soon as possible. Only then could our two have been treated optimally and early. "

Additional Information

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system, which primarily fends off pathogenic germs, is directed against the body's own structures. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Insulin is a vital hormone that transports the sugar absorbed from food into the cells from the blood. Can the body produce little or no insulin itself?